Easter is always a day where my family gathers, attends church, has a great meal and rests in each others presence. This Easter was special because my mighty, warrior Caeleb was confirmed. In our church, when young teens are between the ages of 12 to 16 they may commit to attending weekly classes to learn about their faith. The confirmation class this year had a retreat, field trips and even attended synagogue. It is a well-rounded curriculum, but they must attend all of the classes in order to be confirmed on Easter Sunday.
When I saw my son standing in front of the church this morning, I was overwhelmed. Caeleb has been a disciple of Christ and not even realized it.
When we moved to Rio Rancho, Caeleb entered the first grade. I remember meeting his teacher, Mrs. S. I liked her immediately. Before I knew it, my husband and I learned a lot about her as we stood in the hallway at the elementary school. She suffered a great loss, had a wonderful personality and rode horses. Over the course of the following months, I began to take riding lessons from her. That was six years ago and Mrs. S (Maggie) and I have become best of friends and we ride together often. But a bonus that grew out of our friendship was that we began to talk about faith and after time, she and her husband started coming to our church. Because of Caeleb, a friendship was born and a woman’s faith was ignited to return to church.
We can be the catalyst for some to become best of friends, to fall in love, and even to be a support to each other. And where we meet people can be some of the most ordinary, typical and peculiar of places where our presence can make a difference.
Sometimes we never know how or if our presence made a difference, but when it does…lives can change.
My then six year-old didn’t realize it, but he lit a spark into not only a friendship, but into the heart of someone whose faith was rekindled.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Today I Am Thankful For:
- Caeleb’s confirmation mentors (two of the nicest people you could ever meet)
- A great movie
- Naps
- 3 hour horseback rides
- Fresh paint
